Baby Otter 7

Here is the proof below... The drawing board is still in my studio! ;)  I have spent a couple of nights getting the fur mapped out on the rest of the baby otter.  As you can see by the photo comparison,  I definitely need to go darker on my little guy's fur and work on the tone of the background.  I've started working my 6b wood case pencil's rich graphite into the composition but have not begun smoothing it in yet. 

The image is a little washed out on this pic...  But, you can see by the mapped areas the flow of the fur by the negative representation of the shadows.  These are carefully placed markers to the layers that will follow and to the highlights that will be chiseled in with the clic eraser.  The 6b is showing up on the rest of the fur and will fan out as the tortillon works its magic.  The transition from the mussel out to the nose should give some much needed dimension to the otter's head.  I think that will give the little critter balance in its own right versus the detail in the hands.

 

Baby Otter 6

Between filling in for vacations at work, tractor pulls, and gardening, I find that summer is quickly slipping by...  *sigh*  My mind gets preoccupied with all the new things happening in life, and the beloved drawing board and pencils sit patiently waiting in the studio.  As always, my stress levels start to climb due to the shift away from my artistic outlets, and I begin to fret over the small details in life... a miserable feeling trust me.  :(   I am now finally able to recognize the warning signs, so this last week saw a long awaited return to the little otter.  It is amazing how a mechanical pencil and a piece of Bristol board can improve my attitude and my outlook on life.  Art has always been a big part of my past in some shape or form and will be a huge part of my future... It is the one constant in this crazy thing called life where I feel that I belong... :)

Onward to the update...  The one hand is finished, and the face of this little critter is starting to take shape.  The areas being worked on are staying squared off.  With such tiny details in the fur, it is better to keep close to the grid in these tightly detailed spaces.  I brought in a touch of 6b wood cased pencil for a few of the deep shadows.  The edge of his hair on the background needs to be sculpted in and blended-- It is a little sketchy right now.  The hand is bouncing to the front nicely in the composition with the addition of the otter.  I look forward to finishing up the fur and getting the shading balanced.  :)    

Baby Otter 5

The little otter has acquired some more graphite on its fur and completion of one eye.  The hand on the left side of the composition is beginning to be developed, also.  The fur was coming along nicely, but the hand kept grabbing my attention.  I worried about the smear factor to the bottom portion of the otter, if I went back to working on the left side of the drawing.  So, I broke out from my usual method and decided to keep going on the top portion of the otter's head, while moving  from left to right on the bottom part of the composition.  The trading off should break up the monotony, and the darks can be adjusted simultaneously in the whole composition at the same time.  I have already done a little deepening of shadows in the finished fur. It photographed a little on the washed out side tonight, but you should be able to see where the piece is heading.  :)

Baby Otter Graphite Drawing 4

I did a little more mapping after the last session and decided that it was a big enough area to take to completion.  So, I began the process of blending and removing graphite with a white eraser.  After the fur was defined, more graphite was added to the heavy shadows, followed by some more blending, and finished with more defining of the dark shadows.  My Tuff Stuff eraser stick went into action to pull out a few long whiskers, and the kneaded eraser worked to blur the areas of fur that were out of focus in the composition.  The background was darkened slightly on the left to enhance the light fuzzy fur.  This is the most exciting part of the process for me...  It is the first glimpse of how the little critter is going to look.  :)

Baby Otter Graphite Drawing 3

The weather has been gorgeous in Northern Illinois, and the month of May has been a busy one!  Flea markets and town garage sales galore making for some fun weekends of running.  Schools are closing for another year, and my son is now a college graduate.  Where has the time gone?  *sigh*

I started mapping the little otter's fur a few hours ago and kept going until my hand started to cramp.  This small format can be harsh on the fingers!    My schedule will pull me from the board this afternoon.  I hope to get some more time in tonight. :)

Graphite drawing of a Baby Otter Cont. & A Special Thought on Maurice Sendak and Those Berenstain Bears

Where have I been?? ;)  The last three weeks have been a change of pace to say the least.  Two weeks were spent working full time as I got my training in for a new job.  Last week, my hours were reduced to part time and will stay that way unless one of the other employees decides to take time off.  So, I am happy to say that I have made my way to the drawing board again.  Whew!  It  feels good to be back!! :)

Below is a photo of the progress from last night.  I used my light box to transfer my sketch onto smooth Bristol board.  Since this little guy has a lot of fuzzy hairs protruding from his thick fur, I decided to get the background in place.  As with most of my drawings, the shading may go a little deeper, but it will work perfectly for pulling out the fuzz and tiny hairs with a white eraser.  The edges of the background had been lined with special pH drafting tape prior to being blended but was removed upon completion.  My next logical move would be map in and blend the little guy, since he is centrally located.  The hands will be so much easier to smear than fur, so they will be sketched in last.  :) 

I wanted to take a few moments to give a small tribute to a fabulous artist, Maurice Sendak.  As those of you that have followed me know, my love of children's books is enormous.  About a month ago, my Mom purchased an oversized book at a thrift shop entitled "The Art of Maurice Sendak" that she read and passed along to me.   It chronicled the work of this famous children's book illustrator and author from his beginnings through the late 70's.  I was completely thrilled with the content about his family, the influence of his childhood and other illustrators on his work, and of course the abundance of drawings lent to showcase the evolution of his style.  The book itself was written by Selma Lanes and published in 1980.  Amazing to think that there would be 32 more years after this book of new Sendak drawings!

I began reading this book at the end of April and set it aside to focus on training for my new day job position.  In one of my few moments on the computer, I learned that on  May 8, 2012 this wonderfully talented man passed away.  There would be no more of his magnificent pen and ink work with the intricacy and details that made my imagination take flight.  It was a sad day, but also a day to celebrate a man that made such an enormous contribution, both as writer and illustrator, to the genre of children's literature.

Many may recognize his name as being synonymous with his book "Where the Wild Things Are" -- which is just one of several splendid books that showcased how in tune he was with his feelings from childhood.   I first fell in love with the carefree style of his illustrations in the Miss Piggle Wiggle series!  My admiration has only deepened for him as I now continue to read on about his art and career.  It's fascinating to read his thoughts about childhood and the influence that other illustrators had on his ever evolving style.  So much so, that he also was a collector of children's books and other illustrator's original art.   Definitely a man that I would admire! ;)

           



And as a additional acknowledgement, February of 2012 brought the passing of another great woman in the field of children's literature, Jan Berenstain.  She continued on the Berenstain Bear legacy after the passing of her husband Stan in 2005.  Their autobiographical book "Down a Sunny Dirt Road" is one of the best reads in town, and I highly recommend it.  :)  I have collected their Bears in books, on DVDs, and on fabric!  They were an admirable team, and I am absolutely thrilled that their boys are carrying on with more tales from Bear Country. 

Where would we be without all of these wonderfully talented people??  *Sigh*  :)

Graphite Drawing of a Baby Otter ~ Work in Progress

The next little critter to grace the drawing board is a darling baby otter.  This one is definitely for me! ;)  The drawing will be on a smaller scale and should finish at 6 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches.  For those that are new to the Sketches blog, I will be working with a 2b graphite lead in a mechanical pencil, 9b wood case pencil, stumps, tortillions, and my trusty vinyl and  kneaded erasers.  This graph sketch is on transfer paper for easier erasing.  The final support will be on Bristol smooth.